On the mothership, Rose and her disguised team make their way onto the ship. She quickly orders a dozen of her men to transport the weapon carts to the mothership's armory. As they move, the Charlie captain steps forward, his sharp gaze scanning the group. Rose tilts her head downward, trying to hide her face as much as possible.
"I'm glad you made it back safely, Delta captain," the Charlie captain says. "These sky people are far more troublesome than we expected. We need to retreat and regroup—come up with a better plan than this one."
Rose gives a silent nod in agreement.
The Charlie captain crosses his arms, his expression darkening. "The sky people will be the doom of our planet. Some of them are barely intelligent, yet others… they stand beyond our mortal understanding."
Without warning, he pulls out a pistol and aims it directly at Rose.
"And the Delta captain has fallen."
Just as he's about to pull the trigger, a sudden explosion shakes the mothership. The moment of distraction is all Rose needs—she lunges forward, tackling the Charlie captain to the floor. Chaos erupts as Charlie team soldiers open fire on the disguised Delta squad on the Delta ship. In response, Rose's team fires back, turning the hangar into a battlefield.
Behind the cover of a crate, Rose and the Charlie captain wrestle for control. She pins him down, forcing his weapon away. "You were smart enough to notice something was off about your comrade today," she says, locking eyes with him. "But your selfish ambition blinded you. Instead of warning the mothership's forces, you acted alone… trying to prove a point." She tightens her grip, her voice unwavering. "That 50-50 ratio has shined upon me."
With a quick motion, she fires a single shot into his head.
Battles erupt across the nearby ships and the mothership as the disguised Stars launch their coordinated attack.
Suddenly, a massive mecha descends from the sky, crashing onto the mothership's deck. The impact shakes the ground as the dust settles, revealing the imposing figure of the commander in the Mecha. He rises from the wreckage, his mechanical frame humming with power. His eyes land on Rose, who now wears the Delta captain's hat with its distinctive symbol.
"Delta captain, hand me a new fusion core! I'll deal with the sky people here!" the commander demands.
Rose nods, keeping up her act. "As you wish, Commander."
She swiftly makes her way through the mothership, dodging soldiers rushing into battle. Upon reaching the lab's front desk, a woman seated there narrows her eyes.
"You're not the Delta captain!"
Before she can raise an alarm, Rose grabs her by the wrist and grabs her by the throat "Unlock the lab. Now."
The woman hesitates, fear flashing in her eyes, but she nods and uses her wrist device to disengage the lock. As the doors slide open, Rose pushes her inside. They stop in front of a reinforced glass chamber filled with fusion cores, each one submerged in a glowing blue liquid.
A smirk crosses Rose's lips. "Oh, these are the hot parts!"
Meanwhile, outside, the commander wreaks havoc. His mecha fires devastating laser blasts, causing chain explosions across the Delta, Lima, and Bravo ships. The battlefield is littered with fallen Stars as the mecha's lights begin to flicker—its energy reserves running dangerously low.
Rose returns just in time, a fresh fusion core in hand. "Commander, I have the fusion core!"
The mecha's chest compartment opens, revealing the damaged core inside. As Rose moves to replace it, she pauses, peering deeper into the internal systems.
"Commander, the mecha has sustained heavy damage. I need to make repairs before installing the new core!"
The commander growls. "Be quick! Our forces need my strength to win this battle!"
Rose activates her stolen wrist device, summoning a series of holographic screens displaying the mecha's systems. Her fingers fly over the interface, navigating through layers of code.
The commander eyes her suspiciously. "That's not the repair system, Delta captain!"
Rose ignores him, still working through the settings.
His expression shifts. "I see now… you sky people never cease to surprise me!"
Without warning, he swings his massive fist, striking Rose and sending her crashing into a crate. The disguised Stars retaliate, opening fire on the mecha. Bullets bounce harmlessly off its armored plating as the commander charges forward, tearing through the attacking soldiers with brutal efficiency.
Rose groans, glancing at her wrist device. A smirk returns to her lips. "The mecha will shut down in five minutes! Pin him down, and we'll take over the ship!"
The commander roars, his mechanical fists tearing through the Stars, his strength overwhelming them. With bodies falling around him, he realizes his only option.
"I have no choice but to self-destruct!"
He hurriedly pulls up his control panel, selecting the self-destruct protocol—but the system denies him access. Confused, his eyes lock onto Rose.
"You blocked me out!"
Rose grins. "Your technology is advanced, but compared to my planet's? This is beginner-level stuff. The real challenge was deciphering your language."
Furious, the commander charges at her, but before he can strike, the mecha shuts down completely. His colossal frame slams to the ground, lifeless.
Rose straightens, dusting herself off. "Alright, Stars, the commander is down! Now, taking the main quarters will be much easier!"
She leads her squad toward the heart of the mothership, where the battlefield is at its most intense. Heavily armed soldiers hold their ground, unleashing relentless gunfire. One by one, the Stars beside Rose fall, their numbers thinning.
"We need more firepower!" Rose shouts.
As if answering her call, Echo ship collides into the mothership's side, causing a massive shockwave. From the wreckage, Gaia and her team emerge, weapons drawn, ready to join the fight.
Rose's lips curl into a confident smile as she locks eyes with Gaia.
On the western side of the planet, outside the main gates of Juvia City, a massive battle rages. The Stars clashes with the city's soldiers, gunfire and explosions shaking the ground. The air is thick with smoke as the defenders desperately try to hold their ground.
The commander of Juvia City's gates signals his nearby soldier, who quickly taps his wrist device. Instantly, the city's defensive missile launchers activate, unleashing a barrage of missiles toward the incoming Stars emerging from the forest and battlefield.
Tomi barely takes cover as an explosion erupts nearby. His ears ring, and debris rains down around him. He glances up to see Taeo standing tall amidst the chaos, arms outstretched, absorbing the moment. A missile detonates nearby, but Taeo remains unfazed, smirking.
"Any time now," Taeo mutters confidently.
Tomi follows his gaze toward the missile launchers atop the gates. There, disguised Stars in soldier uniforms are already dismantling the massive weapons. One by one, the launchers collapse, triggering a devastating chain reaction. Explosions ripple across the gates, obliterating both Stars and soldiers alike. The fortified entrance to Juvia City is blown apart.
Tomi watches in awe. "Taeo is incredible. It's only the first day, and he already has spies planted inside Juvia City!"
Taeo raises his hand high, then quickly lowers it in a decisive motion. "Charge!"
The Stars surge forward, commandeering stolen vehicles and tanks, smashing through the ruined gates into the city streets. The defenders scramble as reinforcements pour in from every direction, escalating the battle into full-blown urban warfare.
Taeo and Tomi take cover behind a storefront as bullets rip through the walls.
"This war is going far better than I expected!" Tomi exclaims.
Taeo grins. "My plans are always perfect and efficient. My spies already uncovered Juvia City's biggest weakness: its civil war. This city is split into two factions—Crimson Flare and Cyan Sparks. They knew the world was going to end but the Crimson Flare's military believed the best way to survive was through absolute control and to fight against us. But Cyan Sparks? They built this city's foundation, its technology, and they wanted peace with us sky people, that what some of them calls us. But the Crimson Flare crushed them in the civil war, enslaved their people, and seized their power and creations. But that was their weakness!"
Tomi's eyes widen as he pieces it together. "We don't have the numbers to take over the city… but we have enough to stall the battle long enough for your other plan to take course! That's why you ordered everyone not to harm the slaves!"
Taeo smirks, unstrapping a wrist device from a fallen soldier. He steps out onto the street, dodging bullets and explosions. Across the battlefield, the enslaved members of Cyan Sparks, forced to fight for Crimson Flare, fire their weapons at the Stars. Among the chaos, The Star forces hold up signs:
"We do not harm slaves. We do not harm the people of Cyan Sparks!"
Taeo's fingers fly over the wrist device, hacking into its systems at lightning speed. Once he's done, he dashes through the battlefield, narrowly evading incoming fire. With perfect timing, he hurls the hacked device at a Crimson Flare squad commander.
The moment it makes contact, the device explodes in a burst of electricity, sending violent shocks through the commander's body. His own wrist device shorts out, overloading. Sparks erupt from every nearby slave's shock collar.
A moment of stunned silence.
Then, one by one, the enslaved soldiers realize—their collars are offline.
Without hesitation, they turn their weapons away from the Stars and aim them at the Crimson Flare soldiers. Gunfire erupts as the battle shifts.
Taeo kneels beside a wounded slave, tending to his wounds. "We're in this together. We'll free your people. And your people will help us save the world."
The slave smile while nodding. He grips his rifle and rises, joined by dozens of freed slaves, all turning against their former captors.
Across Juvia City, chaos erupts as Stars in disguise storm through prisons, factories, and noble estates, freeing the enslaved members of Cyan Sparks. The city becomes a battlefield on every front, with newly liberated fighters joining the Stars in overwhelming Crimson Flare's forces. Explosions and gunfire echo through the streets as the resistance spreads like wildfire.
Deep inside the heart of Juvia City, within the heavily fortified headquarters, Crimson Flare's leader, Juiva, watches in horror. His eyes dart across the massive digital screen displaying the map of the city, now littered with red alerts. Battles rage in every district. His hands grip the console as another soldier reports grim news.
"Juiva, the battle at sea is also collapsing. We've lost control of the mothership and the Mecha!"
Juiva's gaze shifts to another screen. He watches in disbelief as Gaia and her team carve their way through Crimson Flare's forces, taking control of the mothership. His face contorts with rage.
"Damn these Sky people!" Juiva slams his fist on the console. "They've outpaced us! How could this happen so fast? It's impossible—mortally impossible—for anyone to strike with such precision in such a short time!"
Another soldier rushes in, panic evident in his voice. "Juiva! The main house is falling! Our defenses are collapsing!"
Juiva's head snaps toward another screen displaying the front gates of his headquarters. He sees Tomi leading the charge, cutting through soldiers with ruthless efficiency. But it's not just brute force—Tomi and his fighters move with strategy, minimizing their casualties while breaking through every defensive line.
Juiva's eyes narrow. "That man… he must be their leader. The way he fights, the way he anticipates every move—we've been outmaneuvered at every turn. He knows all our battle plans!" He slams his fist down again. "We need to take him out now!"
A voice suddenly cuts through the tense atmosphere.
"He's a great Star, indeed. But he's only one piece of my grand plan."
From the shadows, Taeo steps forward.
Before Juiva can react, his many soldiers around open fire. Taeo dodges effortlessly, moving like a phantom between the bullets. He raises his own gun and fires a single shot. The bullet tears through Juiva's shoulder, sending him crashing to the floor. Blood pools beneath him as he looks up at the screens—his forces are losing. His city is burning. His people are being slaughtered.
One by one, the soldiers in the room fall, each taken down by precise gunfire. Taeo steps forward, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Only one soldier remains, trembling, his rifle shaking in his grip. His hands refuse to pull the trigger.
"Shoot him!" Juiva shouts, struggling to rise.
The soldier instead falls to his knees, his voice breaking. "Please… I don't want to die."
Juiva glares down at him, seething. "Coward… this was the only way to save my people."
Taeo keeps his gun aimed on Juiva. "We can still save them—if you stop this war now. You've lost. And whether you like it or not, we need all of you to help save this doomed planet. Stop wasting your time on selfish goals and see the bigger picture."
Juiva lets out a ragged breath, his expression unreadable. Then, suddenly, he lets out a laugh—wild, unhinged.
"Come to my senses? You think I'm the crazy one?" His laughter grows louder. "I did all of this because of that!"
He points toward something behind Taeo.
Taeo instinctively turns—only to see nothing. He looks back, frowning. "Have you lost your mind?"
Juiva's eyes gleam. "I'm not crazy. I thought the Sky people would understand… that they'd have the same agenda. But I was wrong. I guess God only chose me for this role!"
His laughter echoes through the room as the terrified soldier scrambles to the console. With shaking hands, he types rapidly, then speaks into the mic.
"All forces at the main house have been taken down by the Sky people… We've lost. Surrender to them if you value your life."
His fingers fly across the keys again, broadcasting across the entire city.
"People of Juvia City—the war is over. We've lost. Our survival is now in the hands of the Sky people."
A silence falls over the city. One by one, the battles cease. Crimson Flare's forces drop their weapons. Cheers erupt from the Stars and the freed people of Cyan Sparks. The war is won.
Taeo watches Juiva, who still laughs to himself, his gaze distant.
"This planet doesn't even know about the Star Games," Taeo mutters under his breath. "That's why they were chosen to be doomed. But this man… he doesn't seem like a liar. There's something more to this."
At that moment, Tomi and his team burst into the room. Tomi steps forward with a victorious grin.
"The city is ours!"
He and Taeo exchange a firm fist bump.
Moments later, the massive mothership arrives the shores of Juvia City. The landing ramps extend, and Gaia steps out, her gaze scanning the streets. To her surprise, the war has already ended—the city no longer echoes with gunfire or explosions.
Behind her, Yuri and his people step off the ship, their faces lighting up with relief as they spot their fellow Cyan Sparks members, now free. Cheers erupt as families and friends reunite, embracing after what felt like an eternity of oppression.
Gaia turns to one of the Stars standing near the shore, a fighter still gripping his rifle, his uniform stained with the signs of battle. "Who led this battle?" she asks, her tone sharp and curious.
The Star straightens up. "Taeo from Planet Silva and Tomi from Planet Isha," he responds calmly.
Gaia gazes at the city again, her expression unreadable as she mutters under her breath, "Tomi… I can imagine him pulling something like this off. But at this pace? Impossible. This had to be Taeo's work."
She exhales, glancing toward the city where the liberated people celebrate their victory. A smirk tugs at the corner of her lips. "Taeo… I need to see what kind of player you really are."